Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally to power conversion, and, in particular, to integrating an electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) filter with a power line communication (PLC) interface.
Description of the Related Art
DC-AC inverters are often used to convert DC power to AC power that is coupled to a commercial power grid. In order to couple the generated AC power to the grid, the inverter must meet relevant standards such as those for electromagnetic compatibility (EMC). An inverter may comprise a suitable filter for filtering the generated AC power to meet the EMC standards.
Some inverters employ power line communication (PLC) for communicating data over the grid. Inverters employing PLC may use a transformer for coupling the PLC signal to/from the AC output. Both the EMC filter as well as the PLC transformer consume a significant amount of physical space within the inverter and tend to contribute to a higher overall cost in producing the inverter.
Therefore, there is a need in the art for an apparatus for integrating the filtering of AC output power and the coupling of a PLC signal to the AC output while reducing the size and cost of production for the inverter.